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Lifestyle Influencer Lora McLaughlin Peterson’s Best Budget-Friendly Cooking Tips
The Emmy-winning former broadcaster shares tips from her new cookbook, ‘The LORAfied Cookbook,’ and how to maximize your shopping list
“You’re never too old to get out there and reinvent yourself,” says lifestyle influencer and cook Lora McLaughlin Peterson. “I’m super jazzed and grateful to have this happening in this chapter of my life.”
AARP (Courtesy Ivan Solis)
Lora McLaughlin Peterson, 56, stumbled upon her second professional chapter by accident. In 2020, Peterson’s oldest daughter, Betsy, and her best friend asked for some video tutorials about how to do simple things in the kitchen and around the house.
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“They were both adulting, trying to figure things out,” recalls the Los Angeles-based Peterson, who couldn’t believe that others would be interested in her tips for saving money and cooking. Turns out, almost everyone is. Since launching LORAfied, a social media company focused on food and lifestyle content, in 2021, Peterson has amassed more than 1.6 million Instagram followers.
"The LORAfied Cookbook: Easy Recipes and Budget-Friendly Hacks for Feeding the Whole Family" by Lora McLaughlin Peterson offers over 100 simple, “fancy yet frugal” recipes and practical household hacks.
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Cook With Lora
Lora McLaughlin Peterson shared three recipes from The LORAfied Cookbook for AARP members to try at home:
It seems everyone is trying to boost their protein intake, and these tasty snacks walk the line between healthy and decadent.
Make-Ahead Fill-You-Up Oatmeal
This hearty breakfast packs in extra nutrients and fiber, thanks to a secret ingredient you won’t notice: riced cauliflower. With cinnamon and vanilla, plus toppings such as berries and nuts, this may just become your favorite way to start the day.
Though its protein source is eggs, don’t limit this flavorful sandwich to breakfast. With feta cheese, pesto, Parmesan and sourdough bread, it’s the perfect anytime meal for one.
The former television correspondent spent years covering local news in Los Angeles before ending up as a network correspondent and earning an Emmy in 2002 for reporting.
Now the mom of three is sharing her “fancy yet frugal” recipes and household hacks in The LORAfied Cookbook: Easy Recipes and Budget-Friendly Hacks to Feed the Whole Family. The term “LORAfied” came from Betsy and her friend, who noticed how Peterson often put her own stamp on dishes to make them feel elevated, created efficiencies in the kitchen and came up with smart ways to save serious money at the grocery store. Here, she offers some of her favorite tips for saving time and money without sacrificing the beauty of enjoying a good meal.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Your cooking is approachable and practical. Who most influenced your approach to food?
My mom. Her ability to flavor anything with salt and pepper is unmatched. She’s 95 and still a whiz. I remember going off to college and not having access to her cooking. So every time I went home, I started paying attention. I think it’s unattainable to tell folks that everything has to be made from scratch, with top-quality ingredients. My mom used approachable items to make half-homemade dishes. There’s another reason I’m in this business: I saw her doing so much of it growing up. You don’t need to have any skills to pick up my cookbook.
What’s a great tip for people who are cooking for just one or two?
Just because you make a big batch of something one night doesn’t mean you can’t re-create it into something else the next day. I am a big fan of the leftover makeover. For example, if you’ve made corned beef today in the slow cooker, you can turn that into a panini Reuben tomorrow. Then maybe the next night you have corned beef hash.
When people make something, they only see it as that one recipe. I want folks to know you could transform just about anything you’ve made. You can also freeze it. That way, you don’t feel like you’re always eating the same thing. That’s my biggest tip: Just transform what you’ve already got.
What are some of your top strategies for cooking delicious meals without overspending?
Frozen everything: You can save a boatload. Frozen beef could be as much as 50 percent off; same with fish and chicken. Then thaw them as needed. I don’t really have much fresh fruit on hand, aside from oranges and apples. I even freeze bananas. All my berries are frozen.
Another tip: Buy your meat and cut it yourself. You’re paying a butcher to do it, but you can slice that chicken breast into cutlets and save a lot of money.
What are a few ‘budget heroes’ that every home cook should have in their pantry?
First, balsamic glaze. You can drizzle a little bit of balsamic glaze on top of almost anything; it automatically makes it look fancy, and the taste is incredible. And then flaky sea salt. You can buy it by the bucket on Amazon. That is going to last forever. Finally, never underestimate a good olive oil. Buy the best olive oil you can afford. Those little things are going to move the needle on your cooking.
What are some common mistakes people make when trying to cook on a budget?
When people get into recipes that have a lot of ingredients and don’t realize they have to buy six spices they’re never going to use again. It’s better to shop your refrigerator and your spice drawer first. Instead of starting with a recipe, start with what you’ve got. Also, if you stick with what you know you like and start there, it takes a lot of the guesswork out. If you really like ground beef, figure out a couple of greatest hits with the ground beef, and stick with that.
Meal planning is trendy right now. How important is it for saving money?
I don’t love meal planning. I think a better way to shop is my “five, four, three, two, one” method. That is: five vegetables, four proteins, three fruits, two breads or pastas, and then one treat.
The beauty of this hack is that it works whether you are feeding just yourself or an army. You will be shocked at how many meal combinations you can make with this formula, just by picking a variety of your favorite things in the amount you need. I focus on what’s in season, so this never gets old or repetitive. Picking up items with this method allows incredible flexibility, giving you over 200 meal combination possibilities.
Do you have a surprising bargain-hunting tip to share?
Shop on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. People don’t realize this, but grocery stores fluctuate their prices, even depending on the time of day you go. You’re going to pay a lot for something Friday after five o’clock. Wednesday is when a lot of that turnover starts happening, so they might slash some prices to move stuff. And the coupons typically come out on Wednesdays.
What’s one of your favorite shortcuts when you need a quick and easy meal?
The air fryer is a magical little machine — you can do just about anything quickly. I also love to use chicken cutlets. They taste better, and they cook within 12 to 15 minutes. You can sprinkle pesto over them. You can dip them in some old [crumbs]. I’ve done cereal crumbs or crushed-up potato chips. You can put them in Italian breadcrumbs. You can turn it into chicken Parmesan in 12 minutes [in the air fryer]. You can get dinner done really quickly if you’re using the right cuts of meat and the right tools.
What has this experience been like, from starting your social media presence to publishing the book?
I love the line “the harder I work, the luckier I get.” I think it’s just so true. I’m living proof. You’re never too old to get out there and reinvent yourself. I’m super jazzed and grateful to have this happening in this chapter of my life.
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